Students at camp.

Join us for the Summer Leadership Experience Camp!

I liked the Summer Leadership Experience Camp because of all the new opportunities it brought me, the friendships it brought me as well. I also liked it because the atmosphere was great and the leaders were excellent, had a love for the camp and the campers as well.  –Emma

The Summer Leadership Experience is for students entering their high school junior or senior year with mild to moderate disabilities who want to transition to higher education and learn skills such as self-discovery, college preparation, health and wellness, vocational rehabilitation, self -advocacy, accommodations, technology, and independent living. Activities include a campus tour at the University of Kentucky, group activities, mentoring and round table discussions with college students and faculty, and much, much more!

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Man looking out window sadly.

Spring Seminar: Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: An Overview

“Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomology can overlap and present similarly. The presentation will provide an overview of TBI and PTSD while also outlining how the course of symptoms differ.” – Dr. Keli Blankenship

Join us in person or online for our Spring Seminar series on Friday, March 2, 2018 from 1 – 3pm ET to learn more about the “Traumatic Brain Injury and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Overview.” Learn more from experts Dr. Keli Blankenship and Dr. Elizabeth Rudisell (Psychologist at the Lexington VA within the Substance Abuse and PTSD residential program). The seminar will be held at the UK Coldstream Research Campus Human Development Institute Training Room 1525 Bull Lea Road, Lexington KY. A link to the live video stream of the seminar will be sent to registrants.

Click here to register for the seminar. For help registering, contact walt.bower@uky.edu. Continue reading

Photo of Lindsey Mullis measuring heart rates.

Raising Awareness and Inclusion for Healthy Hearts

by Lindsey Mullis

The Kentucky CARE Collaborative (Cardiovascular, Assessment, Risk-reduction and Education) is a free blood pressure awareness program that aims to increase the number of people who are taking action to help control elevated blood pressure through appropriate counseling about health behaviors and/or lifestyle changes. Because Kentuckians with disabilities can have higher blood pressure than those without disabilities, HDI is coordinating the Project CHEER effort to provide more inclusive CARE programming. Continue reading

Christine Hausman photo

HDI’s Christine Hausman Selected as Act Early Ambassador for Kentucky

We’re excited to share that HDI’s Professional Development Content Coordinator for Child Care Aware, Christine Hausman, has been selected as an Act Early Ambassador for Kentucky and will serve as a state liaison to the “Learn the Signs. Act Early” campaign! In this role, she will support the work of Act Early State Teams and other state/territorial or national initiatives to improve early identification of developmental delay and disability and promote the adoption and integration of “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” resources into systems that serve young children and their families.

Christine’s early childhood work gives her strong connections to communities  to improve early identification of developmental delay. She will head to the CDC in Atlanta for Ambassador training in March. She will represent HDI and Kentucky well! —Kathy Sheppard-Jones

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Summer Leadership Camp students with certificates

Latest Fund for Excellence Grants: Winter 2018

We’re excited to share that HDI is funding the following four outstanding Fund for Excellence projects this quarter! With improved consumer advocacy, leadership, and transportation options, take a look at these projects to learn how HDI plans to build more inclusive and empowered communities in Kentucky and nationwide.

This round of Fund for Excellence projects represent timely and exciting recognition of pressing needs in Kentucky. We hope that findings will be used to directly impact lives of Kentuckians with disabilities and their families, with the potential to add to the literature and develop larger projects as well!—Kathy Sheppard-Jones

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